It’s a new day, a new beginning. So, it is common to ask what is going on with someone when you meet them after a while. Or simply when you meet them on the street or plan an outing. Here comes the typical question and conversation starter: “How have you been?” We did an article on “What are you up to?” and this one is quite similar to that.
It is a very casual and vague question, so the person asking it sometimes only expects an honest and genuine answer. But it is a different scenario if the person asking the question is close to you. This is not something a person asks someone they just met.
“How Have You Been, Meaning”
This question, “How have you been?” specifically means that you are meeting with that person after a long time and trying to catch up. There is no proper way or one particular way to ask this question and no specific answer to it. You are asking someone about their life and how it has been from the last time you met them.
It is unlike any other phrase we use when meeting someone. For instance, we ask, “What’s up?” when we meet someone, and we can use this phrase any time. You ask this when there has been a time gap since you last met. How you want to reply to that is up to you, but we have come up with the basic replies that can be used as a reply.
When Can The Question Be Used?
To keep things simple for you, two specific conditions are required for asking this question. Those two are:
- You should ask the question if you know the person well or have met them before.
- You can ask this question if you are meeting after a specific time. There should be a time gap. But if you knew ahead of time that they had something planned for the weekend or if they had some special event planned, then you can ask them how it was or how it went.
A Few Examples:
- How have you been since the last time we met? I think it was homecoming.
- How have you been since your accident? Have you completely recovered?
- I know this is very quick, but how have you been since your engagement last week?
- Now that they are not dating anymore, how do you think she has been?
- How has he been doing since the death of his wife and son?
- So, how have you been? How is married life treating you?
- I think we last met at Jenna’s party. How have you been?
- I heard you moved here from New Jersey because of this job. So, how have you been? How are you adjusting? I need to know everything, when can we meet?
- How have you been since the death of your parents? Are you managing the store alone?
- How have you been? I heard you eloped.
How Can You Reply To How Have You Been?
There are millions of ways to respond to this question. It depends on the person how they want to respond and how much they want to let you in in their personal life. But here, we are going to explore a few “how have you been reply” that are commonly used.
A Few Short Replies To “How Have You Been?”
- I have been good.
- It’s been really great.
- I cannot complain.
- I have been better.
- Surviving.
- It’s been really hectic.
- It has been wild.
- Never better!
- It could be worse.
- It’s been a roller coaster ride.
- All is well.
- Life has been challenging.
- Smooth sailing.
- As usual.
- I am okay.
Long Replies To “How Have You Been?”
- Good, I have started taking dance lessons recently.
- I have been really busy preparing for my exams.
- Really good. I am taking care of my health and have joined a yoga class recently.
- It has been really busy since I took the new job.
- There is nothing much to tell, it has been the same since I last met you.
- It’s been really interesting, I am ticking off my wishlist.
- It could be better, I lost my job and had that terrible accident. Just trying to get things back on track for now.
- I am doing good. I completed four books last week.
- Everything has been good, there is nothing that I can complain about.
- It is getting easier with every passing day, but I still remember the time when things were terrible, and it was even hurting to breathe.
Bottom Line
There is no particular way to answer the question, “How have you been.” This is an open-ended question with various possible answers. The question shows that you are interested to know what they have been up to and how their life has been since the last time you met.
The reply depends on the person and their interest in how much information they want to share. This is a conversation starter, so it is not always expected that the person is going to come up with a big response. This is not at all formal. Instead, it is a polite way to ask someone something they want to share without directly pointing at it.
Additional Reading:
- Ways To Say “Hope You Feel Better”
- Best Way To Respond To How Is Your Day Going
- IDK Meaning: Decoding The Popular Abbreviation In Online Communication
